The Consequences of War              

War has a variety of consequences. To name a few, war is brutal and heartless as well as hazardous for every living thing – humans, animals, and nature. War is profitable. Highly profitable. Major arms manufacturers swim in riches and employ millions of people because we fight. Defense budgets soar year after year through the purchase of highly sophisticated and lethal weapons.  

Why do we fight? Scholars believe the first recorded war occurred in what was then known as Mesopotamia in the year 2700 BC. The exact cause of the war remains unknown but it’s likely that food security started the war. Were there wars before this? Most likely yes.

Nations fight often due to economic and/or territorial gain. Take the current conflicts as examples. There’s been a bitter territorial conflict between Israel and Palestine since 1948 that shows no sign of ending. It is now a bloody conflict where thousands of innocents, mostly on one side, have been killed. Millions of people have been rendered homeless, jobless and hungry. China threatens to invade the sovereign nation of Taiwan, claiming it’s part of the mainland. What, they can’t live without a tiny island off its coast? So far, the Chinese haven’t invaded but who knows when or if they will. The Soviet battle against Ukraine has been going on for at least two years with much of the country destroyed and thousands killed and/or injured. Two leaders jockeying for power and control caused a major conflict in Sudan, a country familiar with war. I could go on.

Wars occur also because of revenge, religion, and ideology. The 1990s breakup of the former Yugoslavia was mainly because of ideology as well as religious differences. Former strong man Marshall Tito’s iron grip held Yugoslavia together but once he died in 1980, the country started to splinter and fall apart. A civil war that lasted at least three years resulted in death and destruction. The country broke up into six different nations. The USA invaded Iraq in 2003 out of revenge for the terrorist attacks of 9/11 despite no evidence linking that nation to the terrorist attack. Northern Ireland fought the British for years over religion. Catholics versus Protestants, both Christians, fought for almost thirty years in a conflict called the Troubles. The battles started primarily so the Irish could break free from British rule. Armenia and Azerbaijan still squabble over a small sliver of land. Who can forget the carnage in Rwanda in 1994 when Hutu extremists unleashed a genocide, killing nearly 800,000 people in a mere three months. It is estimated that 300,000 victims were children. Wars also begin because of maniacal leaders such as Adolph Hiter. His quest to dominate Europe and to wipe out the Jewish population ended in utter failure.

What happens to cities and towns beaten down by years of war? People become homeless because their residences were shattered into a thousand pieces. Insurance companies aren’t dispatching adjusters in war zones to make settlements on homeowner policies. Besides, if you read the fine print in an insurance policy damages caused by acts of war aren’t covered. Many businesses end up wrecked as well. Without funds to rebuild, workers lose jobs. With so many people homeless and jobless, the economy tanks. Banks are no longer able to fulfill their role as lenders. The jobless cannot save or pay back loans. The social structure slowly crumbles. Essential services like fire, police, ambulance, electricity, water and garbage collection disappear. Food becomes scarce. Hospitals are often bombed during war time. Doctor’s offices may no longer be opened and patients lack access to vital medical care. People become desperate for food and medicine. They are also afraid because the world they knew has vanished. Panic may ensue. War and regional conflicts lead to mass migration. At no time in history has there ever been more refugees than now. There are refugees fleeing war and civil unrest in Syria, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Congo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine. There’s likely more nations I haven’t mentioned.

Take the Syrians as an example of mass migration due to war. A once peaceful uprising in 2011 against the dictator Bashar Al-Assad morphed into a brutal retaliation against his own people. But Assad could not have waged the relentless war without the arms provided by Russia and Iran. Millions of Syrians fled to neighboring countries like Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to live in squalid, dusty and overcrowded refugee camps. Millions of others risked the long journey to Western Europe. Some came to the USA and Canada. Yet thousands drowned in dilapidated boats trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. To even board an overcrowded rickety boat for a water crossing is a sign of desperation.

I once helped teach English to refugees at the Phoenix office of the IRC (International Rescue Committee). Few refugees wanted to leave their home countries. Nearly every person I talked with said conditions at home were either unsafe or unsustainable. Thus, they risked it all to emigrate to the USA for a better life. But life in the USA was often difficult. Learning a new language was a challenge. Refugees have to find jobs because financial assistance was only provided for several months. They also had to pay back the cost of airfare the UNHRC (United Nations High Commission on Refugees) paid to resettle them here. Housing costs are high in many parts of the country including Phoenix. In Phoenix, public transportation is often unreliable so a car is needed for steady work. On top of learning the language, finding a job, housing, etc. refugees sometimes had to deal with pushback from right wing extremists who resented their presence. That’s another consequence of war not just in the USA but in other countries too.

Immigrants who reach a safe third country are often traumatized by the effects of war or civil conflict. Many witnessed unspeakable atrocities including the loss of loved ones.. Some were tortured. I listen to NPR in my car. I hear the most harrowing stories of people in Third World countries who protested against dictatorial regimes and were then arrested and tortured. It may take years to recover from both the physical and psychological effects. Most military officers who participated in the torture of civilians are rarely punished. Only a few high profile cases reach the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

Not only do innocent people but yes animals perish from war. Farmers may be killed, leaving no one to feed their cattle, sheep, chickens, etc. Horses used to wage war often are killed on the battlefield. Zoo animals are left to starve. Domestic pets may be left behind by terrified owners who are forced to seek safety.

Soldiers don’t escape the consequences of war either. There are no reliable statistics on how many people have perished from wars over the years but here’s one that stands out. In World War II alone, at least 22 to 26 million soldiers died on the battlefield. Another 6 to 8 million died in concentration camps, most of whom were Jews. Approximately 70,000 to 80,000 Japanese citizens died from the nuclear bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet thousands of ordinary citizens died during the war from hunger, bombs, or from working for the resistance. That’s a staggering number of people from just one war.

Besides death from war, there’s destruction to the landscape and property. World War II left much of Europe and part of Japan in smoldering ruins. Much of Syria today is a desolate landscape of bombed buildings, empty cities and towns and a paralyzed economy. Gaza is almost unlivable. Yemen has been under attack by Saudi Arabia and their allies for the past seven years. Homes, factories, business, etc. are completely demolished. The country faces starvation, sickness and unemployment as a result. Mind you that the Saudi’s could only have crushed Yemen with help from the USA. The same goes for Israel’s war in Gaza. We sold them the weapons, despite outcry from the public and some members of Congress.

War screws us up in other ways. Children’s education is disrupted. Hardly anyone can attend school. Imagine the school bus picking up children in a war zone? If the schools aren’t ruined, teachers and students may be too afraid to leave home. In some cases, teachers and students are killed and/or injured by soldiers. The interruption has long-term effects. Children may be years behind and unable to catch up when they reach a refugee camp or a safe country. College students are impacted too. Their future is on hold with dreams delayed. Young men may be forced into the armed forces against their will. Some may even be killed.

Women/girls suffer unimaginable consequences in war. Women and girls are raped in wars/conflicts throughout history such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, the Balkans, Myanmar, Syria, Iraq, Congo, and many more. Eye witness accounts from the recent Hamas attack in Israel resulted in women and girls being raped or sexually mutilated Rape is a brutal despicable crime and women/girls pay the price for male aggression. Shame on them.

War can also result in terrorism and kidnapping. Look at how many journalists were kidnapped and held hostage for years during the Lebanese Civil War. Over the years, thousands of journalists were killed, some on purpose, covering wars and civil unrest. Islamic militants captured and beheaded journalists in recent times. Militants also terrorized ordinary people by blowing up train stations, buses, shopping centers and more. One of the most infamous terrorist acts happened in New York City on 9/11.

Some wars grind on for years, such as the Hundred Years War between France and England lasting from 1337-1453. Cripes, one hundred years. Wasn’t that long enough? Other wars have been short like the Spanish American war which lasted only from April to August of 1898. At least they came to their senses and stopped fighting after a brief time. Some wars were fought over ridiculous reasons such as the Pig Wars of 1906-1909 between Austria and Serbia over tariffs on pigs. Oh get real. A war over pork chops and bacon? Then there was the Pastry War of 1838-1839 between France and Mexico over an alleged slight at a Mexican restaurant. Real but idiotic. The USA erupted into Civil  War in 1861. The north and south battled over slavery. Since then, the USA has fought at least two wars to stop the spread of Communism. Russia invaded the neighboring republic of Chechnya not once but twice. The list of wars goes on and on.

Despite decades of death and destruction, we are not even close to achieving world peace. UN Peacekeepers often patrol hot spots around the world trying to quell more violence. Sadly, the peacemakers sometimes commit crimes against the people they are supposed to protect. Centuries old grudges are often hard to mend.

War is stupid, it’s good for nothing yet we can’t seem to live without it. The battlefield is costly, damaging and dangerous. We’ve been at war so long that it’s morphed into a hugely profitable industry. There’s even an American college dedicated to the study of war. In just the USA alone, thousands of workers develop and manufacture weapons of mass destruction. Thousands of people world-wide earn paychecks because we, as a people can’t stop fighting. Weapons developers dispatch well-paid lobbyists to Congress and convince them to buy the latest bombs, guns, tanks, drones, flame throwers, etc. Congress is only too willing to cave in, always thinking of the next election. Nothing but the best for our military, even though we have enough stockpiled weapons to blow ourselves and every planet in the solar system into smithereens.

In addition to the aforementioned consequences of war, there is the monumental cost of recovery. Who, for instance, will pay to rebuild Syria? Ukraine? Sudan? Gaza? The near total destruction of some Iraqi cities caused by the US bombing campaign to remove the Islamic militants. Where will funds to rebuild come from? Yard sales? Or will these places lay in ruins for years to come? If countries like Syria are rebuilt, will residents return with Assad still in power? Will the Rohingya ever feel safe enough to return to Myanmar?

What’s next? Can there ever be peace? Or do we wait until Mother Nature renders the planet as unlivable. That’s a sure way to end war. We’d better get our act together. There may be no potable water in some places. Drought and floods will ravage what man has not. Fires will destroy forests that war once left untouched. The next wars will be fought over water, not oil, territory or misplaced male bravado.

If there’s any hope for the future, it begins with strong, level-headed leadership. Right wing leaders like Putin, Trump, Netanyahu, Modi, Orban, Assad, LePen, Haniyeh, and others are not helping to bring about world peace. In fact, they encourage dissent. They promote hate at home and abroad. Some Americans still cheer on Donald Trump even though he tried to overthrow the government, among other things. With that kind of attitude, there’s a long way to go. But I have hope because hope is all we have. Ordinary people, left to themselves, get along for the most part. People from around the world want nearly the same things – good schools for their children, food at the table, jobs, a good place to live, and safety/security. That’s not too much to ask. The time is now to stop another punishing war that will destroy everything that a nation has worked decades to build up. Can we let another lunatic leader tear it all down? The consequences are far too harmful to us all to let it happen. We have the power to stop it. We can and must use that collective power because Mother Nature is on our trail. The consequences of Mother Nature’s war are much more severe than conventional war. I hope we can stop fighting before we find out the true nature of Mother Nature’s wrath. Don’t the world’s children deserve it? 

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I am an old woman who grew up in the Cold War era. We had bomb drills during school. As if hiding in the closet would protect us from nuclear bombs. For much of my life, there’s always been war somewhere around the world. Today is no different. Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and more. Thank you for reading this and may we all one day live in peace.

A 1994 car accident ended Debra White’s career due to a traumatic brain injury. She re-invented herself through volunteer work and writing. Debra wrote for Animal Wellness, Arizona Republic, Social Work, Airports of the World, Psychology Today, and others. She reviewed books, contributed book chapters and wrote a book for TFH Publications. Her website is: www.debrawhite.org